Neil Souza - Finance Manager
Aurenildo (Neil) Souza was born in Brazil and is fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, and English. He graduated with
a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Brigham Young University. Neil began his career
with UPS in 2004 and has worked in various areas of UPS ranging from industrial engineering to
finance – he even was a package driver for one summer! In his free time, Neil enjoys reading about
business topics like leadership, management, and emotional intelligence, and he is always searching for the best way to apply
them to his daily work. An avid soccer fan, Neil enjoys playing, coaching and watching soccer. He also
loves traveling with his wife, Anna, and 13-year old son, Andre.

Jason Barnes - Business Systems Analyst
Jason began his UPS career in 1999 as a Technology Solutions Group Technician in southern Illinois.
He has since worked in both Global Business Services and UPS Customer Solutions along with
accepting two international assignments for Internal Technical Support helpdesks in Europe and Asia.
Jason, his wife, Amy, and daughter, Madison, live in Mustang, Oklahoma where they enjoy serving
with their church family. Jason also enjoys riding his motorcycle, playing golf, and hunting.

Lora Loveall Core Lora held the position of Director of Admissions and Records for the Tulsa Spartan School of
Aeronautics and project manager for American Airlines/Sabre/EDS/Hewlett Packard for 24 years.
She most recently held a position at Tulsa Stained Glass as an instructor and website developer.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in MIS from the University of Tulsa. She and her husband, Mark,
have a daughter, Mara, who graduated Tulsa Community College, and a son, James, who attends
Jenks High School. Lora enjoys making stained glass items, pottery, and jewelry making as well as
reading mysteries, science fiction, and history.

Daniel Looper - Senior Technical Support Analyst
Prior to joining ConnectShip, Daniel was promoted from the position of IT Support Technician to
Service Desk Supervisor where he was responsible for hardware and software support for the
University of Tulsa. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and Accounting. He is
currently studying Japanese and enjoys traveling with plans to travel internationally in the near future.

Michiele Vargas - Intermediate Software Engineer
Prior to joining the team, Michiele owned a photography business for 9 years, worked for American Airlines/ Sabre,
and taught mathematics and Java programming. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics from the University of
Oklahoma, Norman. She and her husband of 29 years have three children attending area colleges, a senior at the
University of Tulsa, a sophomore at the University of Oklahoma, and a freshman at Oklahoma State University.
She enjoys gardening and crocheting, and raises two dogs and six cats at their home in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Joe Franco - Senior Business Systems Analyst
Prior to joining the team, Joe served in the United States Air Force in multiple roles including
Command and Control, Plans and Scheduling, Logistics Management Division Chief, and Chief IT
Project Manager. He completed his 10th combat deployment to the Middle East in January 2018, is a
certified instructor in S.E.R.E. and insider threat/active shooter training, and currently serves in the
Oklahoma Air National Guard. Joe speaks at local schools, businesses, and places of worship on
weapons safety. He will graduate with a degree in Aerospace Administration and Operations from
Oklahoma State University later this year. He and his wife, Angela, have two daughters, Ava and
Emma. While serving in the military, Joe met three U.S. presidents and traveled to six continents.

Jim Clifford - Business Development Senior Manager
Jim began his career with UPS in 1990 with rotations in operations, sales, solutions and SOLDI as an IT Solution Engineer.
He is a recipient of the 1999 Chairman’s Gold Eagle Award and the 2016 World of Champions Platinum award. He holds a
Bachelor’s degree from Elmhurst College, and Master’s degree in Business Administration from National Louis University
and attended the Eli Broad Graduate School of Management at Michigan State University. He and his wife of 25 years have two
children ages 8 and 11. He enjoys speaking, volunteering for Big Brothers, coaching hockey and soccer, and attending his
daughter’s lacrosse and volleyball games.

Happy Retirement!

In January, the ConnectShip team celebrated the retirement of Cathy
Scherman and Brian Allison. Both Cathy and Brian served as integral
members of the ConnectShip team and will be sorely missed, but we
are excited for the years ahead of them in their retirement!

In her retirement, Cathy is looking forward to attending her
grandchildren’s sporting events, reading, baking, and gardening.

Brian is looking forward to using his free time to fly his plane, travel,
and spend time with his grandchildren.